Joan of Naples

In the dead of a January night in 1343, the three hundred church bells of Naples suddenly toll, shaking the city from its sleep. The clamor, first taken for fire or an invading army, proves instead a summons to pray for a dying monarch. King Robert of Anjou, after a reign of more than three decades, lies gravely ill in his palace, his breath growing faint beneath an alabaster lamp. Citizens, soldiers, scholars, and clergy gather in uneasy silence, each wondering how the kingdom will endure the loss of a ruler they revere as wise and just.

Around the king’s bedside, his queen stands composed, hands clasped, eyes lifted toward heaven, while his confessor and physician anxiously monitor his pulse. The court buzzes with whispered concerns: the throne may pass to a foreign claimant and a young, untested girl, unsettling the fragile balance of power. As the night deepens, the city holds its breath, awaiting the final moments that will decide the fate of Naples and its people.